When the Analyst is Ill: Dimensions of Self-Disclosure

Abstract

This article examines questions related to the "inescapable," the "inadvertent," and the "deliberate" personal disclosures by an analyst. Technical and personal considerations that influence the analyst's decision to disclose, as well as the inherent responsibilities and potential clinical consequences involved in self-disclosure, are explored, with particular attention to transference-countertransference dynamics, therapeutic goals, and the negotiation of resistance. The author describes her clinical work during a period of prolonged illness, with case vignettes that illustrate how-self-disclosure may be regarded as both an occasional authentic requirement and a regular intrinsic component of clinical technique.

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